Alumna Dr. Ali Vanderveld Gives Next Physics Careers Seminar on Feb. 26

The Spring 2016 Physics Careers seminar series continues on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 with alumna Dr. Ali Vanderveld:

Time: 11 a.m. on Friday, February 26, 2016 (refreshments served at 10:30 a.m.)

Location: 204 Loomis Laboratory (Interaction Room)

Title:  From Astrophysics to Data Science

Speaker: Dr. Ali Vanderveld, Senior Data Scientist, Groupon

Abstract:   After a PhD and two postdocs studying theoretical cosmology, I fell in love with Chicago and wanted to try something new. As such in 2013 I started looking for a data scientist position and soon landed at Groupon, a large Chicago-based tech company. In my new career I use the same skills and tools that I once used to study the Universe to study the world of e-commerce. My work involves answering complex questions with massive heaps of historical data, along with using machine learning techniques to optimize the business. I will discuss the pros and cons of this career change, the day-to-day life of a data scientist in tech, and how one might prepare to make such a transition, and I will field any questions anyone has regarding my trajectory and this exciting career path.

Bio: Dr. Ali Vanderveld is currently a Senior Data Scientist at Groupon. Ali joined Groupon in 2013 after completing a KICP research fellowship at the University of Chicago. Prior to that she was a postdoctoral researcher at Caltech and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During her academic career, Ali was a member of the development teams for several space telescope missions, including the SuperNova Acceleration Probe (SNAP), the High Altitude Lensing Observatory (HALO), and Euclid. Ali received her BS in physics from the UIUC Honors Program and her MS and PhD in theoretical astrophysics from Cornell University.

You can see the rest of the Spring 2016 Physics Careers Seminar series here: http://physics.illinois.edu/events/seminars.asp?cal=4014&sem=spring